


The Battle of Camlan

by The_alpha_of_alphas



Category: Arthurian Mythology
Genre: Original Fiction, Original Story - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-08-18 10:15:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8158559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_alpha_of_alphas/pseuds/The_alpha_of_alphas
Summary: In a world where magic is long since dead, and chivalry is no longer practiced, an academy for only the most elite rests at the lake of Avalon where Merlin resides as Headmaster, awaiting the return of the great King Arthur. But all changes the day a young man somehow manages to get an invitation to the academy, an accident it seems. But as the boy's story goes on, a old darkness lurks. Where friendships will be tested, and enemies will once again arise, not everything is as it seems.





	1. Prologue

Dying wasn't actually all that unpleasant. You'd think it would hurt horribly, but the shock of it all makes the pain fade into a dull ache. At least, for me.

With faded battle sounds around me, and my last wishes made, I watched the sky as I noticed small black tendrils creeping across the blues bleeding into purples, into black. I watched and waited for my final breath, content with the way I was leaving Camelot. I had done only the best I could, after all, I am only human.

I felt my life slipping away, the warm liquid pooling under me. I suddenly found myself wondering who would find me? Would I be buried in the great Hall along with my Father and his Father before him? I wondered who would I be to my people? A Martyr? A Victim? The Villain with a wake of death trailing after him, even into the afterlife?

I let out a shuddering breath, watching as the white wisps of my it floated away. I noticed the black tendrils again, only to realize they aren't in the sky, they fill the edges of my vision and threaten to take over. But they are not quick enough, my last breath leaves my body before they can engulf me.

Just before I pass, I feel a jolt shake through my body and down into the earth. Its is a war cry calling out...

Our King, Arthur Pendragon

The King Is Dead


	2. Chapter 1

Looking back on it all now, I should have never gotten out of bed that day. Most people would be dramatic and label a day like that as the "worst day of their life". For me, it was just the beginning of a string of a whole lot worse days.

I'm Edmund, Edmund Alan Parrish if you're looking for a formal introduction. Three generations of family born, raised, and died in England, well except for my great uncle Richard but we don't talk about him. My mum's name is Margaret, she makes the best chips you'll ever taste. My dad's name is Alan, that's where I got my middle name. My little sister's name is Evelyn, but I just call her Evie.

That day started off like all the others. It was a Tuesday, the day before school starts, my first day of sixth grade! Evie was skipping around in her new shoes, she's only in third grade so she still gets fun things for school. Mum was in the kitchen making my favorite Peanut butter Pancakes. Dad had already left for work, he works for the Post so he has to get there even before Mum starts the kettle.

I finished buttoning my shirt and trousers and then went to brush my teeth and wash my face. Mum says I was the cutest baby when I was born. Now, I'm a bit taller than my two best friends; Ben Kidwell and Elliot Trapnell. I've known Ben ever since we were in Primary school, Elliot started school with us last year. He's no good at Rugby but pretty decent at Futbol, so we let him stay.

Ben says my eyes are what scares all the dames away, they're too bright of a blue. Elliot says it's my hair, short and blonde is too boring I suppose. I think it's because they'd rather chase after Tom Grimley. Little do they know that his name means 'goblin', but I can't tell him that, mum says it's not nice.

But, before that afternoon, everything was normal. Before that afternoon I had never seen a floating, glowing letter before. Before that afternoon, I had never heard of Avalon Academy.

After the usual morning activities, I hurried my chores and grabbed a snack before telling mum bye and rushing out the door. By the post box, Ben and Elliot were already waiting for me with their cycles. Ben and I got ours two years ago for only £33, they're not as new as Elliot's, new off the line a couple months ago, but his was £50!

I grabbed mine from next to the fence and gave a look, "What's that smell?"

Elliot snickered, "Maybe its your washings."

Ben scoffed, "At least he has washings. When was the last time you wore a clean pair of trousers?"

Elliot shoved the taller boy, "Get stuffed, Bedivere!" He grumbled, using Ben's full name.

Ben shoved him back, "Oi! Shut it you prat!"

This is how it always started. Elliot would say something rude to me, and Ben would get upset and say something rude back, as if he had to defend my honour like a damsel. Honestly, I'm not quite sure why they insist on it all the time, Ben always wins.

I sighed and shook my head, "Will you idiots knock it off so we can get going?" I've found that glaring as if I'm disappointed in them works wonders.

Ben sighed and stood up, "Sorry mate."

He dusted off his trousers as I helped Elliot up, who said, "What exactly are we doing anyway?"

I grinned and held up the £20 that my mum had given me, "Whatever we want."

~•^.^•~

We made our way into the city, the first time by ourselves. Elliot kept complaining about how much trouble we could get in until Ben told him that if he kept on, that he'd likely catch flies. That shut him up real quick.

We decided to go to the arcade first. Its not very often that Ben and I go because our parents can't afford it. Elliot goes all the time because his Dad owns the place.

I skid into the bike rack, slamming backwards on the breaks as Ben did the same. Elliot rode in slowly and frowned at us, "You're going to break the pedals clear off if you keep that up."

Ben snickered, "Who told you that, Daddy Big-Pockets?"

I smacked his arm and shook my head, knowing Elliot's dad was a sore subject, "Knock it off Ben."

He stole a glance over at Elliot who had a hard look in his eyes, "Oh alright. Sorry mate." He patted the younger boy on the back.

We waited for the usual ear-bashing, but Elliot simply shrugged, "Can't complain really, its the truth."

Ben and I never knew what to say to stuff like that so we just kept quiet like usual. I wrapped an arm around both of their shoulders and started towards the doors, "Let's have a bit of fun, eh?"

~•^.^•~

The arcade is actually one of the first buildings that was built when they were making this town. The founder, Simon Witebay, had originally made it as the city hall. But, as the town got bigger, and the years passed, they built a new city hall. The new building is only three streets away from me, on Willow's Peak Cross, it looks out over the Cliff. Mum doesn't let Evie and I go up there, she says it's too dangerous. Last year, four people fell off the cliff, all the way down into the ocean. When someone falls, the tide is so strong they never find a body.

But that's a story for another day.

Right now, Ben, Elliot and I were standing in line for the new game, The Strength of Avalon. I guess it's based off that old legend of Merlin and King Arthur and Camelot. A bucket of rubbish if you ask me. But, Ben had been itching to try it out since the owner, Mr. Greene had put the sign out front announcing it.

Once it was our turn, Elliot gave a mock sweeping bow at Ben, "Your challenge awaits, your highness."

Ben gave a little curtsey and batted his eyelashes, "Oh bother, why thank you."

I rolled my eyes at both of them, "Are one of you going to play or are you going to act like ladybirds until supper?"

Ben shoved me, "Why don't you show us the proper Strength of Avalon then." Elliot snickered in agreement.

I squared my shoulders, "Right then." I put a pound in the machine and gripped the hilt of the fake sword that stuck up out of the plastic rock.

A robotic voice came from the game, "He who pulleth this sword from this stone be worthy of Avalon's kingdom."

Ben made a noise that I'm sure he'll deny later if I asked, "You got this mate. There's no way you can cock up this one."

I snorted, "Ben, have you met me?" Then, I gripped tighter and pulled upwards with all my might. I felt it slip out of the position it sat in and my eyes snapped open.

We waited and suddenly the same robotic voice as before bellowed, "King Arthur will not be needing the help of maidens."

I stared at the game, sure it got it wrong. There's no way I got less than the babe before us, she had been younger than Evie! I turned to look at Ben and Elliot only to find them red face and necked, shaking with silent laughter. When they saw me looking at them, they burst with laughter, Elliot fell over. Tossers.

~•^.^•~

After a while, the Arcade started to get boring, "Edmund, I'm hungry mate." Elliot said as he rubbed his stomach. Ben's stomach growled in agreement.

I yawned, "Let's go over to Miss Molly's and have some chips."

Elliot simply frowned at his growling stomach again. Ben nodded, "Let's go before he decides to eat us." He said to me.

I laughed and we headed outside, thanking Mr. Greene for the free sodas on our way out. Once we got to the shop, I counted what we had left, "Alright, we have £9 left. Thats £3 for each of us." I handed them each their change, "Let's go get some grub."

As we sat at the booth, trying to decide what to get, Ben spoke up, "I know what we should do after this." He leaned forward and grinned looking like a mad cat, "Let's go to the Cliff."

Elliot blinked at him, "What..."

I stared at the older boy, "Ben, which cliff do you mean."

He gave us a look like we're daft, "Oh come on, The Cliff. The one at the edge of the city, behind City Hall."

Elliot looked ready to throttle him, I was a bit gobsmacked myself, "You're not serious, right?"

He licked his fingers, "Completely." He sighed exasperatedly, "Come on, everyone goes by the time they finish year five. We're about to start year six and we've never even gotten close." He looked at both of us.

Elliot narrowed his eyes, "You never want to do stuff like this, why now? And why this?"

Ben stared at him, determined, "Because I'm tired of being the wanker who never does nothing. I want to be able to say that I'm just as un-wanker-ish as most." He crossed his arms and leaned back, "So, shall we?"

I looked at Elliot who looked at me. I could see that he wanted to go but it was dangerous so he would never voice such thoughts, "Alright. But we don't go all the way to the edge. Understand?" I looked at each one of them until they nodded.

Ben grinned again and even Elliot had a bit of an excited look as he said, "This is leading up to be one of the best days of our lives."

~•^.^•~

After we finished our food and paid for our meals, we headed out. Everyone knows how to get to the Cliff, it's getting past the guards that's the problem. Fortunately for us, we're small enough to crouch and hide behind the wall that goes across the walk. After ditching our bikes, we made our way up.

Once we made it to the top we were all out of breath but were grinning like mad. Elliot grabbed my shoulder, "This is crazy."

Ben cackled, "Crazy brilliant you mean."

Elliot laughed and shook his head, "Our parents would lose the pot if they saw us..."

I snickered, "Well, what they don't know, doesn't kill them and is fun."

They both laughed at that. I took a deep breath, "Lets go."

We walked past a post that said in red, CAUTION! DO NOT ENTER! UNSTABLE FOOTING! Ben flipped off the sign and Elliot tossed a handful of dirt at it.

I shook my head and laughed, "Okay, this is far enough."

Elliot gave me a look, "Come on, just a little farther."

Ben shook his head, "No he's right Elliot, we shouldn't go any father."

I looked around at the surrounding area, it looked sturdy enough, but you could see the edge. Everyone knows that close to the edge is unstable and slants. So if you slip, you will likely fall.

Elliot sighed, "Fine..." He turned to walk back towards us whrn he stopped again.

I frowned, "Come on Elliot. We need to get away from here, it's not safe."

He pointed at a spot right at the edge, "Do you see that?"

Ben and I both said, "See what?"

He sighed and pointed again, "Right there. It's...glowing?"

I took a step closer and sure enough, there was what looked like a piece of paper, glowing. It was wedged between two rocks and flapping in the wind. It must have gotten stuck in the storm the other night.

Ben squinted, "What is it?"

Elliot shrugged, "I can't tell. It's too far away." Then after a moment, "I'm going to get it."

I reached for him, "No! Elliot it's on the edge. You'll fall!"

Ben's fists clenched and unclenched like they always do when he's nervous, "Come on El, let's just go home."

The younger boy just waved us off, "It's fine. No one falls on this side." We all knew it didn't matter where you stood, you could fall anywhere.

I rocked on my feet, "Elliot come on...Just leave it alone."

He gingerly took a step, "It's fine, cram it." He had made it to the side and was now trying to shimmy down to he edge.

A loose pebble rolled under his foot and he slid a bit. Ben yelped and I jumped forward to grab him. He held his hands up, signaling that he was fine.

I felt like I had just run a bloody marathon, "Elliot please, come on."

Ben nodded, "He's right, listen to us El, you've got nothing to prove."

Elliot practically growled, "Like hell I don't. Now shut up!"

We stood anxiously, bouncing on our toes as he slowly made his way to the edge. Would hear Ben muttering something under his breath. It sounded like the mantra that played in my own head, Come on Come on Come on.

Finally, after what felt like hours, he got to the edge. Hanging onto the rocks with one hand, he gingerly reached for the glowing slip of paper. Being the tallest in the class surely helped in this situation as his fingers skimmed the edges just enough to snatch it up.

He turned, a triumphant grin on his face, "See, easy as-"

He was cut off as he took a step on the unsteady ground and slipped. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared over the edge. A few seconds after, a faint splash could be heard.

I could hear Ben screaming and screaming and screaming. Then, there were other sounds; sirens, loud footsteps, metal clanging together. But all I was focused on, was the little slip of paper that was lying next to my foot. I bent down, my hands shaking as I picked it up. On the front, written in elegant script, it said, Avalon Academy.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignore any mistakes, im tired.

That, was six years ago. Since then, I've had the displeasure of coming to terms that I'm the returned King of Camelot, Arthur Pendragon. I went on a quest to prove that yes, I am really him and found the Fisher King's Trident. I then had to go on another quest to get memories of mine back that were stolen. But, once we got through the Veil and found the Hall of the Fallen Kings, complications arose and that took a lot longer than anyone had thought.

Now, at the age of seventeen, I'm trying to come to terms that I'm about to ride out to yet another battle, with an evil just as old as I. It took me longer than I care to admit, to realize that just who that evil was, my nephew from my last life, Mordred.

To say that it was all shocking is the understatement of the century. If you ask Cass he'll tell you that I cried for a week, which is a complete lie. It was only three days.

I'd gotten used to it in the last few years, despite losing my memories all over again and getting trapped in places such as; The Veil, The Perilous Lands, and my Nephew's dungeon, just to name a few.

I looked over at Cass's bunk, listening to the comforting sounds of his snores. I kid you not, he sounds like a lawn mower. Yet, its a welcome sound, homey, familiar.

He only got this bad when it was cold. Winter here in Avalon meant thinner air, harder to breathe, loud open-mouthed best friends snoring. Only, being that Avalon in located right smack in the middle of England, its always cold. So, he always snores.

I sighed and stood up, hissing at the cold floor. There was no way I was getting any sleep now. Thankfully, It was starting to get light out so I didnt wake up much earlier than usual.

Padding into the bathroom, I flipped on the light and rummaged for my toothbrush. I looked into the mirror and felt an ache in my chest. Looking at my reflection did that to me now, bringing back memories, both good and bad.

Memories of Guinevere, which made me think of Lancelot, making me think of Lance who was like me, someone from the past. Lance, I had met on my third day at the academy, only to find out at the end of the year that he was Lancelot returned. He once again gave his life for me, without even the slightest hesitation. I'll never forget the screams of his sister as we dragged her away from his body, just leaving him there.

Then there was Percy. He was a year younger than me, but the first day he came to the academy he walked up to me, head held high as he bowed his head and kneeled, telling me that he was at my service in this life as well, it became known that he was Percival. He too gave his life. Struck down only a few short months later by a dragon released on the academy. Unbeknownst, the beast didn't breath fire but his roar tore the life out of you. Percy pushed me out of the blast range, saving me and losing his life in the process.

After that was Lucas, born as a girl, but identified as a boy, he became one of the few boy mages. He gave his life to open the Veil. No one told of the power needed to rip open the very fabric of reality. I hadn't known him as Arthur, but he was good kid. A year senior to me, with a heart younger than us all.

Elena and Lily were slaughtered in their dorm. Mordred's spy, later found out to be Mordred himself, killed them for a ritual that would summon him Excalibur in an attempt to take my life easier. Luckily, we hot ahold of the last Red Pearl before he could, halting the spell.

I quietly dressed and padded barefoot outside, boots in hand, sinking my feet into the snow. The cold was always the best way to wake me up faster.

Smiling to myself, I said, "You always were up before me."

A slight chuckle rang out in the courtyard before a tall, slender dark haired man stopped next to me, Merlin, "And I still do not know how you manage to know it is me." He raised an incredulous eyebrow behind the rectangular frame of his glasses.

I couldn't help the grin that danced across my lips, "You smell like Sandalwood and Sage."

He looked almost scandalized, "That's it? The way I smell?" He laughed, "All these years I thought it was because you could tell different foot patterns or some such."

I laughed, "It's a very distinct smell."

We were both quiet for a while, just watching as the sky turned from purple, to pink, to orange.

He sighed and said without turning towards me, "Is it time already?"

I nodded even though he couldn't see me, it was a question that didn't need answered aloud, "Don't worry old man, I've been in dozens of wars."

He smiled, though it was weak, "Ah, I believe we had this same conversation the last time you went off to a great battle. Dare I say, I fear the same outcome..."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, "It's different this time. This time I know who the enemy is, and the outcome he wants." I smiled a bit, "Not to mention, I have Nadia and Cass too."

Merlin smiled again, this time a bit more like his usual self, "They are a bit of a miracle, aren't they?"

I nodded and opened my mouth to respond when I heard the dorm door open and shut, telltale shuffling on the wood floor of the porch, "Morning headmaster." A sleepy voice said.

I turned to see Cass padding out in his pajamas like usual, "Sleeping beauty finally awakens."

He chuckled and slung his arm around my shoulder, him being a bit taller than me helped that, "If I'm the beauty in this friendship, does that make you the beast?"

Merlin chuckled to himself and patted Cass on the shoulder, "I need to attend to a few matters but I shall speak with you before you head out."

As we turned back to watch the sky lighten, the soft sounds of Merlin's departing footsteps mixing with soft bird songs, Cass quietly said, "What's going to happen today Edmund?"

I didn't know how to answer that, "War Cass, a lot of people are going to die." I paused, "But we are going to win."

I felt his hand tighten it's grip on the material of my cloak, "How do you know?" His voice was small.

I gave took a breath, "Because I won't allow us to lose."

After six years, Cass knew exactly what I meant by that without me having to clarify. It meant that I wouldn't stop fighting until my heart stopped. I would die if it meant Mordred would as well.

We were a walking irony, Cass and I. Where he was the bigger, stronger better looking one, I was two inches shorter, skinnier, and more average looking. Yet, he was kinder, gentler. Me, I was ruthless in battle, whereas he held back, striking to disarm, not to kill. Where he would be the first pick to lead an army, I stood in that place.

And throughout all this, though he is the softer, gentler one, I was the one comforting him. I suppose we all have our breaking points. The impending doom of war and thick bloodshed is his. I still dont know what mine is, and I honestly dont know if that's a good thing or not.


End file.
